During yesterday’s hour-long State of the Industry session, panelists provided insights on four pressing topics within the industry: “as a service,” consumerization, the emergence of security functions, and standards and interoperability.
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I'm in the middle of attending the ESI Forum and ESA Leadership Summit events co-located at the Omni Mandalay at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. On Tuesday I had the privilege of moderating the general luncheon session, titled, "The ESA Home Integrator -- A New Vision for the Residential Market."
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First off, what will happen in 2012 will not happen to every dealer or electronic home system contractor. It all depends on your business model, customer base, region of the country, mix of technology and services, and — oh my — the economy.
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The California Alarm Association's (CAA) Board of Directors held its meeting at the Winter Convention being held December 8-10 in San Francisco. I arrived a few minutes early to grab a "good seat" from a journalist's perspective - a seat with a good view of everything going on in the room.
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In past years, December has come to be known here at SDM as “acquisitions month.” As the fiscal year ends and companies endeavor to take advantage of much needed tax breaks, the industry typically is flooded with news of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). In recent recession years, this seemed an indication of the security industry’s resilience and ability to thrive while other industries faltered. However, this December seems quieter than others and we set out to find out why, while the industry continues to do well, merger and acquisition activity is down.
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Whether it’s battling negative legislation, assuring the collective voice of its members is heard, appointing new leadership to drive the industry into the future or recognizing the successes and contributions of industry leaders, security associations are continually promoting the interests of the security industry. What follows are some of the most recent developments.
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The Women’s Security Council, a network of successful security professionals focused on promoting the advancement of women in the industry, unveiled its Women of the Year awards program. The inaugural initiative aims to recognize the top female professionals in the physical security industry in a variety of categories.
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Michael Keegan, vice president of Magnasphere Corporation, was chosen as the new president for Security America Risk Retention Group (SARRG), a business insurance program tailored specifically to the electronic security industry. Keegan, who is a security professional with more than 27 years of experience, takes the reins from Cecil Hogan, president of Security Consultants, who has served as SARRG president for the past eight years.
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One-hundred sixty-three years ago, Siemens was founded in Berlin by Werner von Siemens, an inventor and businessman, around the design and sales of the pointer telegraph. Today, Siemens AG operates in 190 countries and employs more than 400,000 people. Its offerings are diverse, covering solutions for energy, automation, healthcare, transportation and industry needs, among many others. Fortune ranked Siemens 40th among global corporations in 2010.
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The first annual SDM 100, published in 1991, reported that total annual revenue among the top 100 alarm firms was $2.32 billion for 1990. This year the SDM 100 counts
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The health and viability of the electronic security industry is measured each year through SDM's Industry Forecast Study, conducted annually since 1981. View